<HTML>In a message dated 8/31/02 9:54:58 AM Pacific Daylight Time, mathstar@salemnet.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">I'd like the list to share ideas about this: Telephone call: "How much do you charge to tune a piano?" 1. If it is obvious from the conversation that a pitch raise or other work will be needed, do you talk about charges beyond the standard tuning?</BLOCKQUOTE> I very politely tell people my basic rate for a tuning, which covers an hour and a half of my time.  Anything beyond that time gets charged at an hourly rate.  The hour and a half will normally cover a pitch raise if necessary(though the 1/2 step pitch raise I did a few weeks ago ended up being about 2 hours worth of work).  I explain that if there is time remaining once I am done tuning, I will do minor adjustments, and/or clean the instrument inside and out.  Service is the name of the game.  People appreciate attention to detail, and cleaning is something even the musically challenged can appreciate....:-) <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> 2. If you have a reeeeally incompetent bozo 'tooner' in the area (armed with a tuning hammer and electronic guitar tuner and literally does not know the meaning of the terms temperament, tempered tuning, inharmonicity, etc.) do you try in any way to steer the caller away from that person?</BLOCKQUOTE> I do try to get the business away from him, but not by being negative about that person, rather by pointing out the advantages to my work.   <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> 3. What "techniques" do you use to try and secure the business?</BLOCKQUOTE> See answer to question 1.  Being competent, thourough, polished, and polite will win most people over.  I also make sure to present a neat bill, along with a service sticker that they can put inside of their bench(NOT in the piano), and a few business cards that they can keep one of and give the others to their friends. T<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">hanks Alan R. Barnard Salem, MO </BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>